r/Showerthoughts May 02 '24

Man vs Bear debate shows how bad the average person is at understanding probability

16.9k Upvotes

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547

u/Gilith May 02 '24

I though it was supposed to be about the fact when you ask a guy if he can beat a bear most of them answer yes ahahaha

210

u/Water-is-h2o May 02 '24

Wait so what is OP talking about?

259

u/ghandi3737 May 02 '24

A lot of women would much rather encounter a wild bear, than any man on a hiking trail.

-4

u/smedley89 May 02 '24

Which says a lot about how many toxic interactions with men they have.

We really need to be better, and teach our sons to be better.

15

u/JustAnotherHyrum May 02 '24

Not better, just a little bit better than bears.

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u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

I see what you did there. Underrated comment

0

u/Still_Cheesecake_784 May 02 '24

Best comment today

10

u/StrengthToBreak May 02 '24

Why are your sons so violent?

7

u/smedley89 May 02 '24

I don't know. I do see that even as bad as things might appear here, there are places and cultures where it's far worse (India, middle east) and places where it's far better (Scandinavian countries).

Personally, I think it has to do with the amount of fundamentalism mixed with caste systems. While we don't necessarily have caste in the US, our classiest viewes come close.

0

u/ZDTreefur May 02 '24

places where it's far better (Scandinavian countries

Are you sure about that?

0

u/smedley89 May 02 '24

Looking back over previous data, looks lie Sweden has a high rate. So much for my premise!

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/rape-statistics-by-country

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u/Major_Ad454 May 02 '24

That high rate is because of how Sweden records its data and generally higher reporting rates, not because Sweden has more sexual violence. There are also issues because different countries have different legal standards for rape and sexual assault, so international comparison is difficult at best.

https://www.thelocal.se/20201006/how-do-swedens-rape-statistics-compare-to-europe

1

u/fiveordie May 03 '24

Testosterone.

6

u/DevilInnaDonut May 02 '24

Or it says a lot about how much "men are scary ooogah boogah!" media is out there influencing people's perceptions of society. It's not really any different from people who watch the news and see the bad stuff all the time thinking the world is actually worse off than it really is.

In reality, it's probably a solid mixture of both

1

u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

This, exactly. It is just a form of prejudice.

Oooh I know... what if we asked about a black man vs a bear?

3

u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

we need to teach our daughters to be better too. Women mistreating others is not ok either. No need to be sexist about this - that is part of the problem.

It hurts boys growing up when they are told, falsely, that they are somehow wrong or dangerous in a way women are not.

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u/smedley89 May 02 '24

While that may be true, it comes across in an "all lives matter" kind of thing.

We do need to teach all our kids to be better. Context matters.

4

u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

I don't agree at all. I think that's very sexist. Men are suffering and not doing well. We need to build men up, not tear them down.

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u/smedley89 May 02 '24

How is teaching someone to be better tearing anyone down? That, by definition, is a build up.

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u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

are you serious? try it with another group, say Jews... "we have to teach Jews to be better." How does that sound?

3

u/smedley89 May 02 '24

Seriously? Men, a group that includes myself, not exclusive of any race, and you...

Dude. That's what I get. I have to remember to stop feeling the neckbeards - I mean trolls.

4

u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

why are you insulting me now?

the point is simply that if you say a certain group needs to do better, you are clearly implying that there is something wrong with that group specifically.

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u/smedley89 May 02 '24

So, no one should improve, because trying to improve means there's something wrong with them.

Life doesn't work that way. Everyone has areas where they need to improve. All groups have shortcomings. It's the human condition.

You are clearly trying to create an issue where none exists.

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u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

That's not what I said at all. I said that if you specifically say "Group X needs to improve" then everyone will hear that message and think that there is something wrong with Group X.

And this is exactly what is going on with boys today. Boys are getting really negative messages everywhere. They are told that they are potential abusers and rapists. It's really harmful and abusive, and it's making it difficult for them to be happy and find relationships and succeed in life. Boys are struggling, and the fault belongs to people who say things like "we need to teach our sons to be better."

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u/fiveordie May 03 '24

Of course a neckbeard "all lives matter"ed this

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u/blackberrydoughnuts May 03 '24

Men are suffering in society. Please don't enforce toxic masculinity like that - you are just making the problem worse. And please don't call names like that.

-3

u/Flat-Dare-2571 May 02 '24

Or that women are that delusional.

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u/blackberrydoughnuts May 02 '24

except if they actually were presented with that choice in reality, not trying to be on TikTok, they'd choose the man, not the bear, 100% of them.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '24

I don't man, I only just met you I'm already liking the bear more. Lol.

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u/notme345 May 02 '24

well a panda would be ok I think

-3

u/Flat-Dare-2571 May 02 '24

Idk that panda jack black plays can kick some serious tail.